身不由己

shēn bù yóu jǐ

HSK level: HSK 7–9

Meaning

(idiom) (of one's circumstances) beyond one's control; unable to do anything about it; (of one's actions) not subject to conscious control (i.e. done in spite of oneself)

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Characters

身shēnbody, torso; person; pregnancy 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix一由yóucause, reason; from田己jǐself, oneself; personal, private; 6th heavenly stem乚